The election will be held on November 26, 2016.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially confirmed on Friday that the tenure of the embattled governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, would expire on February 23, 2017, as the race to occupy the governor’s seat heats up.
Augusta Ogakwu, the secretary of INEC, disclosed this in a letter written to the office of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State and gave a timetable guiding the conduct of the forthcoming governorship poll in the State.
Ms. Ogakwu said the set date was consistent with laws set forth in the Constitution.
“The tenure of the governor of Ondo State will expire on February 23rd, 2017,” Ms. Ogakwu said in the letter.
She revealed that the provisions of Section 25(7) and (8) of the Constitution stipulate that the earliest date for the election into the governor’s office shall be September 26, 2016 and the latest date for the election shall be January 24, 2017.
“By virtue of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, gubernatorial elections shall be held not earlier than one hundred and fifty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder.”
She added that INEC must notify the public of the election no later than 90 days before the election.
The REC in Ondo State, Segun Agbaje, said the commission would now lift the ban on political campaigns in the warm-up to the gubernatorial election beginning in August 2016.
“We are now preparing for the governorship election in Ondo State. The commission shall issue notice for the poll by the 26th of August, 2016, while political campaigns and activities will commence proper,” he said.
“The campaigns would commence on the 28th of August 2016 and end by the 24th of November 2016, which is 48 hours before the main governorship poll, which will be held on the 26th of November, 2016.”
Mr. Agbaje added that the participating political parties in the forthcoming election are expected to visit the commission’s headquarters to file the proper forms between the August 22 – 26, 2016.
He further told SaharaReporters that the participating political parties would be mandated to conduct their primary elections between the 18th of August and 19th of September, 2016.
The names of each party’s gubernatorial candidate will be announced on October 27, 2016.
The Ondo State governorship election will then be held on November 26, 2016.